Michael Kiwanuka: Small Changes review – an exquisite return
Five years on from his self-titled Mercury winner, the singer-songwriter scales things down to potent effect - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarTchaikovsky: The Seasons album review – exquisite care and ego-free piano playing
Bruce Liu’s performance is superbly polished, but wonderfully free of mannerisms, giving these charming salon pieces the respect and sincerity they deserve - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarLinda Catlin Smith: Flowers of Emptiness album review – compelling beauty and quiet intensity
The composer’s ever evolving chamber music is captured here in eight works from 1986-2024, showcasing a singular voice - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarLaura Marling: Patterns in Repeat review – a tender love letter to motherhood
Domestic contentment radiates through the singer-songwriter’s eighth album celebrating the circle of life - Lisa Wright
starstarstarstarstarHandel in Rome review – Nardus Williams sounds heart-stoppingly lovely
This collection of youthful but complex cantatas written by the composer in Italy is a showcase for the outstanding British soprano - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarSibelius: Violin Concerto, Serenades, Humoresques album review – James Ehnes at his sublime best
The star violinist gives a muscular yet sensitive account of the composer’s only concerto, alongside other works for violin and orchestra - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarThe Cure: Songs of a Lost World review – dark, personal and their best since Disintegration
The band are at an artistic peak on their first album in 16 years: movingly melancholic, with a punchy sound to match the lyrics’ emotional impact - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarCharli xcx: Brat and It’s Completely Different But Also Still Brat review – her lime-green imperial phase is unstoppable
(Atlantic)Big-name guests abound on a thrilling remix album that takes a glimpse into celebrity’s heart of darkness but makes it transcendently fun and cool - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarBruckner: Symphony No 7 album review – Jurowski’s live recording is one to cherish
Marking the centenary of the composer’s birth, this recording of the 1944 Haas edition sees conductor and orchestra combine to create an effortless natural flow - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarLeya: I Forget Everything review – sinister soundworlds from maverick avant gardists
Harpist Marilu Donovan and violinist Adam Markiewicz strip back their ornamentation and deliver an ambient experience that is both startling and unsettling - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarMessiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie album review – Yuja Wang’s solo piano dazzles
Wang brings her characteristic brilliance to the obbligato line of Messaien’s symphony, part of a whole that, under Nelsons and the Boston Symphony, doesn’t fully convince - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarCappella Mariana, Constantinople: Pilgrimage review – Kryštof Harant’s 1600 adventure reimagined
The Czech nobleman and composer’s journey from Bohemia to Jerusalem is the inspiration for this rewarding cross-cultural album - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarPapa M: Ballads of Harry Houdini review – committed to evolution
Cult American musician David Pajo’s latest solo outing reflects his recent troubles but also his restless desire to change things up - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarFather John Misty: Mahashmashana review – a superb chronicler of life’s perverseness
Josh Tillman ties together the misery, wit and showmanship of his previous albums on a set laced with strings and swagger - Lisa Wright
starstarstarstarstarKendrick Lamar: GNX review – amply backed-up grandstanding
Fresh from his feud with Drake, the US hip-hop star’s latest album finds him on imperious form - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarThe Innocence Mission: Midwinter Swimmers review – lo-fi soft focus on the beauty of everyday life
The married duo’s 13th album was made to evoke ‘the half-remembered singalongs of our 1970s childhoods’, and is full of rich sensory songwriting - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarAuntie Flo: In My Dreams (I’m a Bird and I’m Free) review – joyous ride through Kenyan and Goan heritage
Brian d’Souza’s genre-crossing curiosity takes him from propulsive disco to nursery-rhyme melodies and Tiësto-worthy trance - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarHasse: Serpentes Ignei in Deserto album review – dazzling performances bring this oratorio of snakes on a plain to life
Thibault Noally captures the exuberance of Hasse’s 18th-century ‘church opera’ originally written for female voices - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarKendrick Lamar: GNX review – stunning surprise from a rapper determined to be the greatest
After his beef with Drake, Lamar expands his list of targets with enthralling rhymes and adventurous arrangements. At this point, he’s deferring only to God - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarHowells & Wood: Quartets album review – early and late-flowering first world war string quartets
Lost on a train and reconstructed, Herbert Howells’s youthful String Quartet No 3 is paired with the String Quartet No 6 by his teacher, Charles Wood - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarSilkroad Ensemble With Rhiannon Giddens: American Railroad review – homage to a forgotten army of workers
The collective and their artistic director’s classy multimedia project highlights the lives lost and land snatched away in building the US transcontinental railroad - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarKim Deal: Nobody Loves You More review – a solo debut worth waiting for
The Pixies and Breeders musician’s distinctive touch is ever present on a set that spans heartbreak, good times and strident guitars - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarLars Danielsson/ Verneri Pohjola/ John Parricelli: Trio review – wine chateau sessions mingle mature sensibilities
Bassist Danielsson, guitarist Parricelli and trumpeter Pohjola combine folksy melodies, Latin grooves and free-roaming improv on this lustrous album - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarPoppy Ajudha: Poppy review – frank lyrics elevate soulful, funky love songs
The singer-songwriter cycles through many moods, finding hope and complication in her search for love and meaning - Jason Okundaye
starstarstarstarstarTom Coult: Pieces That Disappear album review – strikingly rooted and assured works from young composer
This distinctive collection brings cabaret, country dances and a streak of melancholy to bear - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarFather John Misty: Mahashmashana review – modern life is still rubbish, yet still beautifully essayed
The singer-songwriter sticks to apocalyptic first principles on his sixth album, couching contemporary chaos in soaring ballads and discofied yacht rock - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarJeff Parker & ETA IVtet The Way Out of Easy review – a captivating, unhurried ebb and flow
Recorded in a single evening, the American guitarist and his LA bandmates revel in trading ideas and moods over four extended pieces - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarMerope: Vėjula review – Lithuanian folk reborn in glittering new forms
The duo are joined by a stellar cast including Bill Frisell and Laraaji, bringing innovation and playfulness to their bright, elemental music - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarPoppy: Negative Spaces review – screams and sweetness as metalcore meets loungecore
On her sixth album, the multi-genre star seems to be having an identity crisis – but amid the industrial guitars and synthpop, she clearly trusts her own instincts - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarOrchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp: Ventre unique review – artful mischief
The Geneva collective are a blast with their brass-driven rhythms, engaged lyrics and energised delivery - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarDu Blonde: Sniff More Gritty review – a gleefully self-sufficient affair
The Newcastle musician’s freewheeling, hook-heavy new album is a worthy follow-up to the one-woman wigout of Homecoming - Lisa Wright
starstarstarstarstarActress: Дарен Дж Каннінгем review – elegant mixtape leans into abstraction
British producer Darren J Cunningham mixes electronics, found sounds and fleeting vocals that both sooth and disrupt - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarDistant Voices, New Worlds review – avant-garde vision of Albion by bright British composers
Inspired by the South Downs near Brighton, this selection box of new work from contemporary composers is English to its core – and yet defies tradition - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarSofie Royer: Young-Girl Forever review – existential crises you can dance to
The Austrian-Iranian singer’s new wave style hits harder than ever on an excellent album inspired by a treatise from a French anarchist collective - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarThe Frans Brüggen Project album review – Horsch’s fascinating recorder review
On a record where instruments matter more than the music, Horsch celebrates Brüggen and the remarkable 17th and 18th-century recorders he collected - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarBrahms: Piano Sonata No 1; Schubert: Wanderer Fantasy, D760 album review – beautifully shaped works and a bravura performance
The French pianist revels in the virtuoso demands of Brahms’s early sonata - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarLinkin Park: From Zero review – rock’s risk takers win big with punchy comeback
They sold millions as the most poppy and emotional band in nu-metal. Now, returning with Emily Armstrong as frontwoman, they remain just as dynamic - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarMichael Mayo: Fly review – a bravura fusion of original work and jazz standards
The US singer-composer’s self-produced follow-up to Bones shifts from soul to a lighter, happier jazz sound - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarPeter Perrett: The Cleansing review – a darkly humorous gem
For all his talk of death and dying, the former Only Ones frontman is on top form on this 20-track bonanza - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarTyler, the Creator: Chromakopia review – candour meets artfulness
The Grammy-winning US rapper pits soul-searching against some killer tunes, many featuring his mother, Bonita Smith - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarAnnarella and Django: Jouer review – flute and west African lute shine in expressive new partnership
This marriage of instruments is best when the full-band moments are stripped back to highlight the duo’s artistry - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarHolst: Sāvitri album review – underrated jewel of 20th-century British music
Switching a mezzo for a soprano in the title role, this impressive recording of one of Holst’s most important works is a fitting celebration of the 150th anniversary of his birth - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarShostakovich: String Quartets Nos 1-5 album review – complete survey opens with bite and promise
The Spanish quartet are recording all 15 of Shostakovich’s string quartets, this opening volume features the first five, all given refined performances - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarPeter Perrett: The Cleansing review – a late-career triumph that dances in the face of death
Despite its themes of decline and mortality, the 72-year-old former Only Ones frontman is full of joie de vivre on this wise and empathetic record - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarTyler, the Creator: Chromakopia review – early midlife crisis triggers a freaked-out psychodrama
Full of switchback turns, the rapper’s unsettled and unsettling seventh album zaps from Beach Boys harmonies to G-funk synths – and from boasts to self-loathing - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarChristy Moore: A Terrible Beauty review – stirring tales of the polemical and the personal
The Irish national treasure ranges from humour to rage, Ukraine and Lyra McKee and on his 25th studio album - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarThe Cure: Songs of a Lost World review – as promised, ‘very, very doom and gloom’
The band’s first album in 16 years finds Robert Smith and co on reliably melancholy form – with the exception of one out-and-out pop banger - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarUnderworld: Strawberry Hotel review – sweet bangers and sad laments
The techno giants’ 11th album finds them ranging from cut-up dancefloor fillers to gentle experimentation - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarKeith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian: The Old Country review – a delightful return to a cherished jazz venue
Full of blistering bebop and entrancing swing, this 1992 recording showcases the pianist’s love of the Deer Head Inn, the clapboard 1840s hotel where he cut his teeth - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarFievel Is Glauque: Rong Weicknes review – teetering song-towers that never quite topple
Brilliant melodies, poetic lyrics and quick-change time signatures elevate this quirky jazz-pop release to a level all its own - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarAmyl and the Sniffers: Cartoon Darkness review – Aussie punks still spit, but add a bit more polish
With their swearing and flashing, Amy Taylor and co’s return might seem like business as usual – but new melodic depths and lyrical concerns reveal themselves - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarImmanuel Wilkins: Blues Blood review – alto sax player’s hugely ambitious meditation on his roots
The young American taps into generational memory with assorted guest vocalists and a rich, rewarding palette of styles and moods - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarPorridge Radio: Clouds in the Sky They Will Always Be There for Me review – exquisite euphoria through repetition
Emotions run high on the Brighton band’s fourth album as frontwoman Dana Margolin exorcises past relationships - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarRóis: Mo Léan review – ancient keening songs filled with startling new life
Singer Rose Connolly expands the pre-Christian Irish grieving tradition with synthesisers, distortion and drone in an arresting set - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarGrace Williams: Orchestral Works album review – vivid playing and striking drama
Vienna and Vaughan Williams are among the Welsh composer’s influences, but these orchestral pieces also show off her own distinctive style - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarSchoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande; Verklärte Nacht album review – brightness without transfiguration
Careful textures, brisk pace and the Montreal Symphony’s transparent sound are among the highlights of not fully convincing set to mark the composer’s 150th anniversary - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarKelly Lee Owens: Dreamstate review – dancefloor transcendence by a true pop shapeshifter
The Welsh producer’s latest handbrake turn takes her from dark-hued ambience to hypnotic euphoria on her poppiest record to date - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarSeun Kuti and Egypt 80: Heavier Yet (Lays the Crownless Head) review – Fela’s legacy lives on
Executive producer Lenny Kravitz brings gloss to Kuti’s first album in six years, which keeps his father’s Afrobeat flame burning, with a funk twist - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarThe Linda Lindas: No Obligation review – viral LA teen punks are here to stay
The foursome channel their blistering, rage-fuelled energy into a mature second album with hints of Foo Fighters and Olivia Rodrigo - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarSurya Botofasina: Ashram Sun review – Alice Coltrane-inspired expression of nature’s glory
Sat between jazz, ambient and devotional music, the California artist evokes a pastoral wonderland – but disrupts it with surprising, volatile bursts of sound - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarStrohl: Vol 3, Orchestral Works album review – an original female voice that needs to be heard
The French composer’s Symphony of the Forest is given a welcome outing as part of the launch of a new label specialising in neglected female talents - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarAshley Henry: Who We Are review – upbeat innovation from a pianist with talent to burn
The London-born musician laces his jazz with a heady blend of soul and hip-hop on this fierce but joyous second album - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarThe Smile: Cutouts review – as intricately crafted as Radiohead but with added groove
The trio’s second album this year is full of foreboding but the drumming of Sons of Kemet’s Tom Skinner continues to provide a different dynamic - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarGodspeeed You! Black Emperor: No Title As of 13 February 2024, 28,340 Dead review – powerfully brilliant
With their best work for two decades, the Canadian post-rockers have made an urgent soundtrack for an uncertain and dangerous world - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarAnna Butterss: Mighty Vertebrate review – jazz meets post-rock on shape-shifting delight
With guests including Tortoise’s Jeff Parker, the LA bassist’s second solo album is cerebral, groovy and beyond categorisation - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarVarious Artists: Redline Impact review – thrilling dive into east Asian hyper-electronics
This exhilarating compilation pushes from K-pop to trance, hardstyle techno, budots and beyond – and is at its best when artists rachet up the intensity - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarThe Hard Quartet review – cosmically trippy joy from Stephen Malkmus supergroup
Also featuring Matt Sweeney, Jim White and Emmett Kelly, the quality and variety of songwriting on this self-titled debut album raises it above a stoner jam session - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarChopin: Voyage album review – clarity and sincerity but Avdeeva keeps us at arm’s length
Vladimir Horowitz’s personal piano helps the Russian bring authority to this collection of Chopin’s late works - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarJonas Kaufmann: Puccini: Love Affairs review – will delight fans
The star tenor retrieves some of his old form – helped by six outstanding soprano partners – on this surefire hit spanning La bohème to Madama Butterfly - Fiona Maddocks
starstarstarstarstarWillie Watson: Willie Watson review – a former hell-raiser finds his voice
Known for his versions of old American folk, the singer finally puts his extraordinary voice at the service of his own material - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarEzra Collective: Dance, No One’s Watching review – new moves with an emotive edge
The Mercury-winning quintet bring high energy to Afrobeat, Latin and soulful grooves – yet it is in the quieter moments that a fresh musicality emerges - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarAlan Sparhawk: White Roses, My God review – Low musician’s defiant act of creation
After the death of his wife and bandmate, the US guitarist and vocalist turns his anguish – and his voice – into something unexpectedly playful - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarAlice Zawadzki/Fred Thomas/Misha Mullov-Abbado: Za Górami review – beautiful music and absorbing stories
Seven years after a supposed one-off gig, the jazz-immersed trio release their debut album full of uniquely conveyed songs drawing from European, Latin and Sephardic Jewish sources - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarTag und Nacht: Strauss Songs album review – music for soprano is brisk, bright and light on its feet
Pianist-conductor Jakub Hrůša’s eloquent playing accompanies radiant soprano Kateřina Kněžíková above a surging Bamberg Symphony Orchestra - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarRodgers and Hammerstein: Carousel album review – welcome return from Broadway band of dreams
After’s last year’s Oklahoma!, John Wilson and his Sinfonia of London deliver another superlative recording of a classic musical, sung by a first-rate cast - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarNubya Garcia: Odyssey review – a rich, orchestral journey of self-discovery
The British sax star rekindles her love for scoring strings on her second solo album, with the help of Chineke! Orchestra, Esperanza Spalding and more - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarParadise Cinema: Returning, Dream review – walking a fine balance between chaos and euphoria
Portico Quartet saxophonist Jack Wyllie teams up with three percussionists for a thunderous, west African-influenced second album - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarSchubert, Ter Schiphorst, Andre album review – something old, something new
Alongside a rather brittle Death and the Maiden, contemporary composers Iris ter Schiphorst adds a recorder to a string quartet while Marc Andre’s miniatures study textures - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarLauren Mayberry: Vicious Creature review – Chvrches singer writes her own pop gospel
The Scottish star’s solo debut is about ‘empowering myself to listen to my own intuition’ – leading her to alternately clumsy and deft songs influenced by Y2K pop - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarAdèle Hugo: Mélodies sur des poèmes de Victor Hugo review – a daughter’s voice uncovered
Composer Richard Dubugnon has given colourful life to previously unknown songs by the great French author’s youngest child, whose life descended into tragedy - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarShawn Mendes: Shawn review – a candid, stripped-back return
Regrouping after some time out, the Canadian singer-songwriter adopts a sparser, folk rock approach, yet shines best in honeyed pop mode - Michael Cragg
starstarstarstarstarFlo: Access All Areas review – skilful R&B revivalists need to get their freak on a bit more
The trio bring gorgeous vocals and spiky attitude to 90s-facing songs – but they need a little more of that era’s oddball invention, as well as an undeniable hit - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarPrimal Scream: Come Ahead review – Bobby Gillespie’s most personal album yet
The frontman of the Scottish rockers contemplates mortality and more on an album with shades of 70s Philly soul - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarIDK: Bravado + Intimo review – bright beats, retrograde rhymes
The US rapper and Harvard mentor’s inventive, trap- and jazz-influenced tunes are let down by unreconstructed lyrics - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarAutre Ne Veut: Love, Guess Who?? review – long-awaited return is like peak Magic FM
Arthur Ashin’s first album for nearly a decade sounds bruised and careful, its melodies strong and simple – including his best song to date - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarThe Blessed Madonna: Godspeed review – a sprawling dancefloor odyssey
Featuring Kylie Minogue, Jacob Lusk and more, the American producer and DJ’s solo debut offers something for everyone - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarJapandroids: Fate & Alcohol review – Canadian duo’s bittersweet breakup record
Brian King and David Prowse’s guitar-drums combo enjoys one last hurrah with tracks ranging from bluesy epics to rock romcom - Katie Hawthorne
starstarstarstarstarColdplay: Moon Music review – a cloyingly upbeat ride to the heavens
Chris Martin parks his sense of humour as he communes with the stars and sky on the band’s melody-light, feebly produced latest record - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarMC5: Heavy Lifting review – an enjoyable coda for Detroit’s punk pioneers
The first album since the early 70s from the politically radical US band recalls past glories – in places - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarJelly Roll: Beautifully Broken review – country’s newest superstar grapples with fame and addiction
As the gravel-voiced singer achieves mainstream success, his music is moving further from his back-country roots – but the grit in his lyrics lifts it above standard pop fare - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarStravinsky: Chamber Works album review – Juilliard and Royal Academy of Music offers much of interest
Students from the UK and the US, conducted by Barbara Hannigan, mix familiar Stravinsky works with the rarely heard - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarColdplay: Moon Music review – ‘live, laugh, love’ in album form
Their 10th album has epic songs that make you feel like you’ve climbed Everest – but they’re undermined by corny lyrics and ambient-orchestral waffle - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarRahim Redcar: Hopecore review – former Christine and the Queens artist plays to his fanbase
There are flashes of brilliance in this roughly-hewn album, but also flaws hidden by production flourishes. It’s intriguing but not wholly enjoyable - Michael Cragg
starstarstarstarstarLady Gaga: Harlequin review – Joker companion album does jazz standards with a gaudy grin
The pop superstar sounds fully in her element in these immaculately covered classics, but the whiff of big band week on The X Factor is hard to shift - Michael Cragg
starstarstarstarstarMustafa: Dunya review – poet’s songwriting is a little too beautiful for its own good
The multitalented Canadian renders his subtle songs in tasteful autumnal shades – but could have benefitted from more head-turning numbers such as Gaza Is Calling - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarDolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA: Family, Faith and Fables review – Dolly digs deep
Ranging from archive recordings sung with departed elders to new tracks made with young relatives, the country star’s latest project is nothing if not exhaustive - Lisa Wright
starstarstarstarstar070 Shake: Petrichor review – maxes out on heightened feelings
The one-time rapper unleashes howling guitars, weeping strings and OTT vocals – including those of Courtney Love – on her overcooked third album - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarPixies: The Night the Zombies Came review – an echo of an echo of past glories
The Boston band’s slide towards mediocrity continues, with the high point a song about a headless chicken - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarKylie: Tension II review – more of the same is much, much less
Kylie Minogue’s follow-up to 2023’s euphoric Tension – and smash hit Padam Padam – fluctuates between sparkle and self-doubt, generic pap and two stone-cold bangers - Shaad D'Souza
starstarstarstarstarCaribou: Honey review – this AI-aided album is dubious on so many levels
Evidently running out of ideas, the Canadian musician has used AI to alter his voice into rappers and singers – a dismally insular style of working that produces little of note - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstar